Purpose: Although there are no definitive studies that characterize the survival benefit of intraoperative radiation therapy (IORT), the therapy does not seem to produce significant complication. In our institution, pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) and IORT are often complicated by the development of extrahepatic portal vein occlusion (EHPO). The aim of this study was to characterize the phenomenon of EHPO after PD and IORT.
Methods and materials: Between September 1992 and December 2001, 107 patients received macroscopic curative PD for periampullary disease in our institution. IORT (radiation dose: 20 Gy) was performed in 53 of these patients. Criteria for diagnosis of EHPO were as follows: (1) computerized tomography findings of occlusive extrahepatic portal vein, (2) symptoms of portal hypertension, and (3) confirmation to exclude tumor recurrence from origin of EHPO, because this study examined whether EHPO was a complication of PD and IORT.
Results: EHPO was diagnosed in 12 patients. Among patient and operative variables, IORT was the only statistically significant factor associated with a diagnosis of EHPO (p = 0.0052). The median developed time to EHPO and overall survival after surgery in EHPO patients were 358 days and 2,562 days, respectively. Eight patients (67%) with EHPO died during the follow-up period. At 5 years after therapy, EHPO was diagnosed in 67% of survivors who had received IORT.
Conclusions: Patients undergoing IORT and PD have a relatively high incidence of EHPO, and patients who develop postoperative EHPO have poor prognoses.